The Palais Rohan: in Louis XV and Napoleon's footsteps

This Baroque palace was built in 1732 for the Cardinal de Soubise, the Prince-Bishop of Strasbourg, based on plans by Robert de Cotte, first architect to the King.

Modelled on famous Parisian hotels, between courtyard and gardens, this bishop's palace close to the cathedral is one of the most beautiful architectural achievements of the French18th century, for both the nobility of its facades and its remarkable interior decoration.

Since 1889, the palace has housed three museums. Some of the great masters of European painting, from the 17th up to the late 19th-century Rubens, Rembrandt, El Greco, Monet, Renoir may be seen on the walls of the Museum of Fine Arts. If you are a history buff, the Archaeological Museum has fascinating Roman artefacts,while the museum of Decorative Arts exhibits the collections of the Hohenlohe-Museum.

The tour is divided into two parts: the apartments of the Rohan cardinals; and the collections of Strasbourg decorative arts from the first French period of 1681 to 1871. Indulge your eyes and your spirit.